FASHION students have been looking to the past for a new collection inspired by wartime Birmingham.

Second-year degree students from Birmingham City University’s Birmingham Institute of Art and Design were tasked with designing a collection of clothes based on the Make Do and Mend movement of World War Two.

Eye-catching designs include Union Jack-style dresses, converted military uniforms and even a dig for victory outfit made from reclaimed fabrics.

The two-month project saw students meeting up with members of the Birmingham Air Raids Remembrance Association (BARRA) to get first-hand accounts of how households took up dressmaking and patched up old garments as material – and money – became scarce.

BARRA members were treated to a preview of the designs before they go on display as part of the new Birmingham history galleries at Birmingham Museum and Art Gallery in the autumn.

Among those to view the designs was Perry Common pensioner Les Hill, who said he had memories of his family entering into spirit of Make Do and Mend in wartime Birmingham.

The 79-year-old said: “I was only seven when the war started, but I remember my mum and sister sewing on pockets or collars to old dresses to brighten them up when they had nothing new to wear.

“The designs they have come up with are fantastic.

“They have a feel of the 1940s but are so colourful – everything during the war was very drab and dowdy.”

A total of eight outfits will feature in the exhibition, which will open in October.

Designs include dresses with spitfire motifs, and an apron complete with vegetables as a nod to the dig for victory campaign.

Senior fashion lecturer Bob Manning said: “I’m so impressed with all of the pieces, they have done a fantastic job of reinterpreting the idea of make do and mend with a modern twist.

“The students found this project both inspirational and, at times, moving.”